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Crown-molding article not enough As a longtime reader of Fine Homebuilding and somewhat on the sidelines being a dangerously educated do-it-yourselfer, I am endlessly, morbidly fascinated by the vitriolic nature of professionals responding to your a.rticles. It's time to join the fray. "Installing Crown Moldings" by Joseph Beals (FHB #130, pp. 78-83) was not enough! This article revealed some of the myster- ies of crown molding, but having just completed such a project, I have so many more questions. Great tips on using backing trim (I wish I'd known) and how to cut an outside corner (none of the ten books I looked at gave me that tip). Damn the editor for limiting your article to a handful of pages: You could have gone on forever. I still have so many more questions: Do you straight-butt this stuff together on long runs? Do you really nail this stuff without pilot holes? What kind of coping saw and blades do you use? What's the secret to coping? I can't believe how maddening this pro- ject was. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with a lack of 90 back to the day I started looking at millwork samples at the neighborhood home center-this guy gave me a sad look and told me how difficult crown molding was to install. I was so vain and stubborn. -Bruce Hamilton, Atlanta, GA a Author Joseph Beals replies: There are two problems with a straight butt joint: First, that vertical line is always conspicuous; second, there is no way to fasten the two ends together. I splice the ends with a beveled scarf joint. One piece is cut at a compound angle, as though for a 900 inside corner. The other piece is cut as you would for an outside corner. The joint is glued and nailed through the lap. Crown to be painted is typically a soft- wood. When I buy the stock, I watch out for the hard-grained pieces and avoid them. What I buy can usually be handnailed with 6d bright finish nails without drilling first. At the ends, or with larger or galvanized nails, I'll drill pilot holes. And I always drill hardwoods. For coping, I use an old Sandvik coping saw, which seems to have a heavier frame than hardware-store saws. I buy any coarse- 6 FINE HOMEBUILDING angles in my home. I still think tooth blade, and I'm not particular about brand or price. I mount the blade to cut on the push stroke, which annoys purists, but I prefer the forward action. The sawing is the rough work, designed to remove the bulk of material with a severe back cut. The fine tuning with a chisel, rasp or file is the key to a perfect fit. There are two other secrets to coping. First, you must have the right picture in your head of what you're trying to do, which can be difficult. Second, practice. It is astonishing how much practice helps. A painting tip for easy roller-tray cleanup I was just reviewing your article on painting (FHB #128, pp. 82-87) and wanted to offer up a tip I have found quite useful. When painting with many colors in the same day, it can be hard to have enough rolling trays around. An experienced painter showed me a trick using a garbage bag. You put the tray in the garbage bag, flatten out the rolling area, then tape around the edge with masking tape so that the bag doesn't move around. You're left with a tray that is dry and can be used for the next color. I also find that if you are finishing up with the roller, you can use the bag to remove the roller and wrap up the whole thing for disposal. -Eric S. Armour, via e-mail Advertising complaints I notice that a number ofletters you publish express a difference of opinion with the author of some previous article or letter. And I think your general thrust is in the direction of honest information aimed at improving the quality of home building. I therefore hope you will also be willing to print this difference of opinion regarding the advertisement on p. 23 of your February/March issue (FHB #129) for redwood siding sold by The Pacific Lumber Company. The headline reads, "Real Redwood ... Not a Compromise." I hope many of your readers recognize that even in for and return any we can't use, and we'll pay Fine Homebuilding send for our als our readers. We'll acknowledge all proposor any articles we publish. For details, call us WRITING AN ARTICLE Author Guidelines welcomes articles from brochure. Fine Homebull ding Editor Kevin Ireton Managing Editor Charles Miller Art Director Chuck Lockhart Senior Editors Scott Gibson, Roe A. 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